The Game
by Sherbet Mayhem
Summary: A mysterious invitation. A creepy hotel. Typical horror movie? Maybe. But Kai, Rei, Tala and Bryan are stuck in it, and it’s a race for them and their newfound friends to escape. Place your bets now. The game is on.


Sherbet Mayhem: We're back . . . 

Oil Pastel: And we're better than ever. . . 

Sherbet Mayhem: And my breath smells like cheese biscuits.

Oil pastel: Well _that_ spoiled the moment, didn't it?

Sherby: Is that an umbrella?

Oily: Welcome, to yet another collaboration between the Sherbster and myself. This is a little more serious than our last stuff, me thinks. Lots of tension etc. The time is . . . 20:12p m.  Hi to **Emerald Skies** *waves stupidly* see you at Center Parcs! Love you all. Enjoy . . . and welcome to The Game . . . 

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Chapter one: First Bets.  

"What's the plan, Sir?"

"You don't need to know the plan. All you need to do is what I've delegated to you. Disobedience is out of the question."

"Sir, that's understood,"

"Yes, clearly, Sir, but surely we can't do our jobs without---"

"DO IT!"

"Sir . . . "

"You know what will happen if you fail."

"Sir."

"Yes Sir."

"Now get to it."

***************************************************************************************

"Fanks, an' 'av a nice day. Yer room's 239."

Kai took the small sheet of paper from the girl's small white hand, crumpling it to save the time of folding and slipping it into his dark blue trouser pocket. It was far too early for cheery people like her, with her plastic smile. With a sigh, Kai fingered the room key in his pocket, swiftly pulling it out to read what number it was. Upon memorising it, he slipped the key back into his pocket and moved towards the other girl standing nearby, who was waiting to take his bag with open arms.

His invitation had come through merely days before. It had no return address, and had simply been an invitation to this hotel, "The Overlook" – a beautiful, art deco kind of hotel, with flat white walls and a scarlet border to add a hint of elegance. The wooden floor was probably a little cold and uninviting, with its sterile mahogany look, but Kai had kept his shoes on as he had entered and so could not tell. The Overlook was in what Kai would have described as possibly one of the most magnificent locations he had ever been witness to – snowy, glazed mountain caps on the horizon, winding, quiet roads that spiralled up the luscious curves and hips of the mountain as though water trickling down a windowpane. Pleasant greenery had visited part of his journey (a limo had been sent for him, strangely enough) but now there was more snow than anything else – beautiful, powder white crystal that glittered across the awe-inspiring landscape. The hotel itself was very large, almost intimidating looking, peculiarly chillier than the surroundings themselves, and even more foreboding because of the large, jade green square hedges that stood fifteen feet from the ground and surrounded the hotel. The interior was a little more welcoming, but still there remained this lukewarm reception that Kai couldn't help but notice. 

The invitation had been a bizarre one. A single sheet of bright white paper, printed lettering, simply inviting him to a Beyblading conference, asking him not to tell anybody, and to come alone, bringing only his blade and his skills. Albeit peculiar, Kai could not resist the gnawing intrigue inside him that questioned the motives of such a conference, and so he had gone along, unafraid as usual. 

He handed his grey string draw bag to the girls waiting arms, and watched her eye it curiously. 

"Problem?" he said sharply, his deep voice cutting through the air. His voice held a lot of respect, and drew the girl's attention straight away. 

The girl glanced up, and Kai grabbed a glance of her name badge. 

"Um . . . no probs, Sir. Just gotta check fru ye' stuff te' make sure yer'aven' got anyfin dangerous or illegal."

Kai dismissed her with a slight nod of her head, and the girl turned away, clutching the bag with both hands, into a back room. She shut the metal door behind her, obscuring the vision of the slate haired teen outside, and sighed. 

"So . . . " came another voice, "wha's th' bettin'?"

The girl clutching the bag looked up, and caught sight of another girl in the room, which was full of metal shelves and storage units. "Bag holder" laughed and flicked a strand of light brown hair behind her ears.

"Let's ge'rr'on wiv it."

She slammed the bag down on a metal desk, a small shaft of light from a nearby window highlighting her features. She was tanned, verging on olive skinned, with light brown, silky hair and neatly outlined eyes. She couldn't exactly be described as short, but she was not tall. A slight gap in between her front teeth was visible when she spoke – in a voice which Kai would have probably had a great deal of difficulty understanding. It was quick and high pitched and sounded like a language of its own. 

"Guess."

She glanced over at her friend, who stood half concealed in the shadows. 

"Erm . . . a coupl'e' CD's. Rock or 'evvy metal. An' . . . maybe sumfin deep, like a sketch book or sumfin."

The girl who had taken Kai's bag chuckled, and began to pull open the string seal on the bag.

"I reckon . . . two knives, a whip, a BB gun an' some blue paint."

The shadowed girl giggled, the light reflecting off her glasses placidly. She was, by comparison, a stark contrast to the other, brighter girl in the room. Her skin was extremely pale, her face made paler by the dark fringes of hair that hung about the frame. Her eyes were big and green, heavily outlined in blunt eyeliner, and her nose pointy. She was much shorter than the other girl, and more built (although the slimmer girl often told her off for calling herself 'fat'). She too talked with this strange, inexplicable accent, and had an odd sort of mouth that showed her bottom teeth when she talked at the high speed she did. 

"Bi'rr'on th'extreme side, eh, Sara?"

The girl who had brought in the bag, presumably called Sara, ripped open the bag and examined the contents inside. She pulled out three CD's and a CD player, some spare clothing including underwear, a small Beyblade repair kit, and a packet of aspirins. There were also a couple of toiletries and a small black belt. 

Sara lifted the belt into the sunlight. "S'close to a whip."

The other girl, whose nametag glimmered for a second and the name 'Jenny' stood out, raised a sceptic eyebrow. 

"Wor'eva. I win. Y'owe me a can'a Pepsi." 

Sara pursed her lips shut and sighed through her nose, before quickly piling the items back into the bag and sealing it again. She waved a quick goodbye to Jenny and slipped out of the door again, wincing when it closed with a bang behind her and squinting for a quick second in the bright lights of the hotel reception. Kai was leaning against the desk, his back to her, hands slumped into his pockets and looking rather sullen. Sara forced that cheesy smile onto her face and tapped him on the shoulder. Although there was no visible jump, Sara felt his body tense, and he spun around with deep purple eyes glinting at her. 

Taken aback, Sara didn't lose her possession and poise, and smiled sweetly. "Everyfin's in order, Mr 'iwatari. Fanks fe' bein' so patient. Now, a few details . . . "

Kai sighed and slung his bag over his shoulder nonchalantly as this 'Sara' continued to speak. He couldn't quite understand what she was saying – well, if he thought about it hard enough, he could decipher it, but he didn't care enough to bother. 

"Breakfast's seven till nine, lunch's twelve till two, an' tea's 'whipped' up for six, an' lasts till nine a' nigh'."

Kai raised an eyebrow at her slight exaggeration of the word "whipped" but wasn't interested enough to probe. He let her continue, his eyes wandering uninterestedly around the reception, watching the other guests and wondering who was also on special invitation here. 

"Press star on ye' phone te' ge' room service, an' me or Jen'll come an' sor' yer out, 'cause us two 'av been given special charge o' th' people who've been invited 'ere. S'at okay?"

Kai blinked, having heard very little of what the rambling girl had just said. 

"Sure."

Sara brightened her smile even further, and Kai felt so desperate to make a snide comment of "Do you have any shades, that fake smile is so dazzling" but he restrained it well, merely watching her as she straightened up. 

"'Av a nice day, den. By th' way, me name's _Sara_, not Sarah. Don' confuse me, please."

Kai didn't quite know what to say, and he stared at the girl before replying in a deep monotone: "I'll do my best."

He strode away without waiting for a goodbye, and sought out the elevator. It wasn't difficult to find, and he slipped in quietly, relishing in the sudden silence he found inside. Kai studied his reflection for a quick moment, watching himself in the metal mirrors of the box. His lavender eyes ran over the form of his body; his arm, tense, gripping the string of his bag tightly, his dark purple shirt hanging open about his chest, and a crisp white scarf knotted neatly around his neck, the two trailing tails hanging loosely by his side. His long legs, straight at the moment, leading up to his slim, immaculate waist, and his well toned upper body oddly tense right now. A pale silver earring glinted in the synthetic light of the elevator, and Kai seemed lost in his reflection for a moment before being interrupted by the ping of the floor button. He spun on his heel and slipped into the ensuing corridor, noting the creamy walls and the scarlet border that seemed to be everywhere he looked. 

He reached room 239, and fumbled about for his room key with his thinly gloved hands. It slid into the lock with ease and he pushed the door open, wanting to get inside and relax before he began sleuthing out why he was here. 

"Kai!"

He stopped short, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly at the mention of his name – however familiar. His hand remained fixed upon the door handle and he merely tilted his head to the right, to the direction of the voice. It struck a chord within him, one he couldn't quite place but found he didn't need to when he took in the person standing about two metres away down the corridor. 

It was Tala. 

***************************************************************************************

Jenny tore another invitation corner and handed out yet another key. "Fanks, an' 'av a nice day. Yer room's 238."

She dropped the key into its owner's hands and watched the boy walk over to Sara to have his bag checked; a slight smile curved upon the edges of her mouth as he eventually exited the reception into the elevator. A nudge in her ribs made her jump, and Jenny snapped her head back from the rather tilted angle it had been on to face Sara. 

"Wha?"

Sara rolled her brown eyes; a firm hand on her hip in a rather motherly way. "Jen, stop it!"

Jenny shrugged, her crisp cream suit wrinkling with the movement. She hated this suit, but had to wear it for work. She wouldn't have minded but for the disgusting red sash she had to wear around the waist to show she worked at the Overlook. Sara managed to wear it well, but in Jenny's opinion, she herself just looked podgy. 

"Tha' was th' last special guest," said Sara, "So we can clear th' 'otel now."

Jenny nodded, her dark hair swaying about her face. She then leaned over to the desk, adding a perky comment to a middle aged man who sat at it working, and picked up an intercom. 

***************************************************************************************

Tala stared at Kai in disbelief. Here he was, thinking he was the only guy around to have been invited to such a privileged event, and Kai Hiwatari manages to show up, his old rival, his arch nemesis. What a drag. 

"Why are you here, Hiwatari?" Tala asked in his low, nasal drawl, his icy blue eyes never moving for a second from Kai's own purple ones. Kai wrinkled his nose and spoke calmly, still not moving his hand from the door handle. 

"I was invited."

Tala growled. "_I_ was invited. There must be some mistake."

"Why? You know it _is_ possible they wanted more than one guest," Kai remarked sarcastically, really grinding upon Tala's nerves. His ice eyes narrowed into dazzling slits and he prepared another nasty remark to fire back his rival. 

"Could all guests from th'rooms wiv blue door keys please report' te' th' checkout? Fank you."

Tala was interrupted by a crackling intercom, and automatically checked his key. It bore a white tag, and so he had no need to worry. A stealthy glance at Kai told Tala that Kai wasn't going anywhere either; his key tag was red. Tala saw Kai glance down at the key before continuing to step into his room. 

"Wait a sec, Kai!" barked Tala, leaping forwards on his long, slender legs and jamming his foot in Kai's door before it slammed shut. The door opened a tiny crack and those powerful lavender eyes bore out from the shadows within the room. Tala's azure gaze met them with confidence and he spoke. 

"Who invited us?"

There was no answer. Just those dark, enigmatic pupils to drown in. Tala growled impatiently, and shot out his question again. 

"Who?"

Another short silence followed, the only noise around the distant ping of the elevator. Finally, Kai spoke, merely wanting Tala to leave him. 

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" hissed Tala, leaning both hands on the mahogany door and meeting Kai's gaze with blue fire. "You're the know-it-all, aren't you?"

No reply. Tala sighed. What was going on here? Was there anyone around who could give him – or Kai, for that matter – some answers? Two people barged past him, giving him odd looks as they headed downstairs with their luggage to the reception desk. Obviously their keys were blue. 

"Tala, get lost," came Kai's voice again, creeping out from behind the heavy door. "I'm not interested."

"Well _I am_!" protested Tala sharply, knowing full well he could stand up to Kai with ease. "I want to know _why_ I'm here. I'm sure you do too."

"I told you, I _don't KNOW!_"

Slam. Tala's foot was kicked out of the way roughly, and the door slammed shut in his face. Tala, determined not to lose face, decided against banging on the door, and leaned against a nearby cream and scarlet wall, his face the picture of sourness. Oddly, he seemed to blend in with the walls, his white, tight clothing and flaming hair being rather adequate. His slender form stood rigid against the wall, every muscle tensed, his frightening eyes set into a glare. Footsteps approached, but Tala didn't bother to look up at who it was. What did that matter? No one could give them answers. 

The footsteps stopped, and there was a silence. No noise of a key opening a door, no sound of searching for the right room. Just an eerie, atmospheric silence, untouchable by blade or indignity. And Tala knew he was being stared at. 

He slowly pulled his head up, his gaze travelling forward before he snapped his head towards whomever it was staring at him. 

***************************************************************************************

Sara slowly lifted her head, her eyes darting left, then right, onto the same level as a huge silver pot, which reflected the shimmering blue flame from underneath it. She glanced about herself quickly, as she was sprawled next to a cooker and might have looked a bit odd to any 'normal' people passing by. The coast was literally clear, and so she gingerly lifted the lid of the pot, cautiously examining the food inside with a raised, detective style eyebrow. 

She got a face full of burning steam, and scrambled backwards, letting out a huge scream. 

"SHURRUP!" hissed Jenny, who was crouching nearby, clasping a hand over Sara's big mouth.

"Who's there?" came a gruff, manly voice, and Jenny and Sara scuttled out of the kitchens quickly, using two chopping boards as 'cover' for their escape. As the burly cook entered the kitchens, they exited into the dining hall, giggles painted onto their faces. 

"Well?" blurted Jenny impatiently, grabbing Sara aside from setting out some cutlery on the grand table, covered in a red satin cloth. "Wha' was in'it?"

Sara shrugged. "Jus' some pasta. Burr' in th' smaller pan there wuz some curried beef. On th' side board th' was salad. A'fink they're servin' ir'as a separate meal."

Jenny nodded wisely, sagely almost, and glanced around the room. "Righ' then. I reckon . . . the red-'eaded feller'll 'av th' beef. 'E need's' a bir'ra weight. An' th' one wiv th' blue cheeks . . . e'll 'av th' salad. Nor' a meaty feller."

Sara chuckled, and continued setting the tables neatly. Jenny took out a small black book, scribbling down the bets. "What's th' stakes?"

As Sara adjusted the positioning of a wine glass, she pondered. "Tenner fer each correct placemen'."

Jenny scribbled away with a scratchy fountain pen, her loopy scrawl covering the pages quickly. Most of the little black, leather bound book had already been used on similar, rather pointless bets. 

"Make yours, Sar."

Sara shrugged. "I'll jus' pur' fifteen quid on th' Chinese one. An' th' pasta."

Jenny seemed sceptical. "He'd so go fer rice."

"There was no rice."

"Oh yeah."

Sara was about to continue the conversation when the huge mahogany double doors opened, and a pair of bright lavender eyes looked around the door. Jenny glanced at Sara and raised an eyebrow, and Sara smirked, eyeing up the well-built lad in the doorway. Light purple bangs fell into his eyes, and long, strangely cut sideburns fell past his face, giving him a wild, untameable look. 

"Good evenin'!" grinned Sara explosively, practically skipping over to the guest, who looked around the massive cream and scarlet room in awe. It was certainly a beautiful room. The walls were high, and the ceiling intricately decorated with cream carvings of angels and cherubim.

"And . . . wha'll ye' be takin', sir?" Sara said in a flirtatious tone, taking out a clean white notepad as she approached the boy. He glanced down at her, for he was very tall – about five eleven, with a stocky, muscley build and a serious composure. 

"What? What accent is that? Did you ask what meal I'd like?" the boy said with a slightly amused expression on his otherwise stern, square face. Sara nodded with another smile.

"I'll take . . . the pasta, please."

Sara scribbled down the order and sweetly smiled up at him. "Would ye' like a drink wiv tha'?"

The boy seemed to hesitate as he deciphered what she said. 

"What? Sorry, that was just a noise that time."

Sara resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and repeated the question, in a very suddenly upper class English accent. "Would you like a drink with that?"

The boy nodded, looking amused again. Sara felt rather good about herself, and took down his order of Coke. Just as she finished, and turned away, another boy stepped through the door. 

"Bryan?"

The lavender haired teen spun around, and took in the handsome red head at the door. 

"Tala! You're here!" exclaimed the one called Bryan. Sara watched with her hands on her hips, and just as the two boys got talking, slid in between them. This Tala one was really very attractive, what with those fantastic hawk-like eyes, alert and watchful, and deep, like pools of water. Icy water, yes, but water nonetheless. And that hair . . . 

"Good evenin'. Wha' would ye' like, Tala?"

Tala seemed a little startled that she knew his name, but shrugged it off, glancing at Bryan a little uneasily. This girl really was strange. 

"I'll take . . . the beef curry, thank you."

Sara's face fell, and she heard a muffled _"YES!"_ from further back in the room where Jenny was laying the final dinner sets down. 

"Are ye' . . ._sure_ . . . ye' want th' beef?" Sara said, smiling with clenched teeth. Tala stared at her, his ice pupils clouded with bemusement. 

"Um . . . I want the beef."

"Trust me, ye' don' want th' beef."

"I want the beef, Miss."

"No ye' don'."

"What's the problem with the beef?"

Sara hesitated, glancing back at the glaring Jenny. "Er . . . I found a rat in'it earlier!"

Tala wrinkled his nose and leaned back a little. "Um . . . I'll take the pasta."

Sara nodded, scribbling down the order. "PASTA IR'IS THEN!" she yelled loudly, much to the irritation of the nearby Jenny, who was polishing a wine glass with a fingerprint on it. Tala gave Sara another look, running his eyes up and down her slim physique, and she smiled as he and Bryan took the nearest seats at the one large table. Jenny scowled as Sara mouthed "Kiss my face then!" at her and tapped her cheek in a gloating manner. Jenny noticed that Tala hadn't ordered a drink. She swanned over to him and took out a clean book, not willing to write these orders in her little black book. 

"Wha' drink d'ye' want?" she snapped, glaring coldly at Tala. He raised yet another eyebrow, wondering what the hell was going on, and ordered a mineral water. Jenny snapped her book closed and stormed off, much to Tala's bemusement. 

"Bryan, when did you get here?" he turned back to his former teammate. The Demolition boys had been one of the most renowned teams in the world just a few weeks ago, but had now broken up, as had all of the teams who had participated in the controversial Russian tournament. Managed by a certain Boris Balkov, the Demolition boys had been just as controversial as the tournament, being a ruthless, merciless team with a vicious lust for victory. 

"About an hour ago," answered Bryan, a crisp, deep, almost frightening voice emitting from his barely moving lips. Tala nodded. 

"Me too. Here on 'special invite'. Do you know who brought us here yet?"

"No."

Bryan never had been much of a talker. Tala took in this new situation with interest. Why was Bryan here? And who else had been invited?

***************************************************************************************

Jenny finished yelling the orders at the Italian cook, who actually only spoke Italian, so she'd had to literally point at each pot when ordering. The hall was half full now, mostly with young boys . . . 

_"Mmm . . . "_ thought Jenny with a smile, _"Lots of lovely jubilee men for ME!"_

She shot a nasty glare at 'Cookie', as she and Sara had aptly named him, and turned back to the hall. Sara was busy trying to order more meals, and so there were no supervising staff in the dining hall. 

A perfect opportunity for her to scope the best bums. 

She slipped out of the kitchen, her pen and paper at the ready, and started to move through the people in the hall, most of whom were talking and standing rather than sitting like they were supposed to. Idiots. 

"Could y'all please sit down?" she yelled impatiently, and rather too suddenly, her harsh voice startling a good many guests. They began to file into the seats. 

"Yep, fanks, bums on seats an' all . . . " Jenny smiled overly sweetly at the guests and moved through them, briefly eyeing them up as she moved towards the door. She noticed that the sauce dishes were on the table now, and, leaning over rather uncouthly, she grabbed a finger full of brown sauce before continuing, much to the displeasure of many of the nearby guests. She got to the door and stood there licking her finger clean, watching her tongue through crossed eyes like a moron. 

"Um . . . can you take my order?"

She glanced up, her finger still stuck in her mouth, and her eyes fell upon the tall, attractive lad from earlier. The one with the blue stripes on his cheeks. 

"Er . . . myuh mokaym . . . " she said without removing her finger. She realised how stupid she sounded and quickly removed the finger, wiping it on her scarlet apron before continuing. Kai didn't look too impressed, but watched the pretty young girl with fascination. 

"Yer, okay," she repeated with an embarrassed smile, and he nodded with a slight roll of his lavender eyes. She blinked and frowned. 

"Wha' d'ye' want then?"

Kai glanced over at the menu, which was written on a chalkboard nearby. A little further away, Sara told another guest in the middle of his order to shut up, and listened intently. 

"Um . . . salad."

Jenny grinned victoriously, and her eyes glinted green. "Fanks, that's grea'. An' te' drink?"

Kai looked away at the chalkboard, and Jenny looked over at Sara, who mouthed the word "Water!" quickly. Jenny responded with a shake of her hand and "Vodka!", and then turned back to Kai, who, unfortunately for her, was watching her through narrowed eyes. Jenny stammered. 

"Erm . . . I'm a recoverin' alcoholic . . . " Well, it was partly true. All except the recovering part. 

Kai nodded slightly, looking down at her rather sceptically. He hadn't bought a word and Jenny knew it. 

"I'll take a glass of . . . give me a Vodka and Coke."

Jenny burst into a smile, and grabbed his unsuspecting hand. 

"Congratulations, a Vodka an' coke ir'is! You _gem_!"

Kai allowed her to shake his hand far too vigorously, and eventually pulled it away. "Sure. How much d'you win?"

Jenny's eyes widened, and she blushed. She glanced over at Sara, who quickly disappeared under the tablecloth. Jenny winced as the guests looked on in disapproval, and turned back to Kai. 

"Erm . . . a tenner. Plus ten for th' meal, which I . . . also . . . bet on."

"How much is that in dollars?" he asked with a vague smile playing upon his face. He was thoroughly amused. His day had been boring, a day of no answers yet plenty of questions, and this was brightening him up. These two reminded him of Tyson and Max, and, although he hated to admit it, he _had_ missed the pair of idiots.

"Abou' fourteen, I fink." Jenny replied, watching the floor and resisting the urge to lick her finger in the hope that there was still some brown sauce on it. Kai chuckled, and she looked up again, hopeful that she wasn't actually going to lose her job because of her and Sara's ridiculous habits. This hotel didn't have any sort of gambling licence, and although they were only betting small cash, it was still _so_ illegal. 

"Did you bet on my stuff?"

Jenny hesitated, feeling that he knew anyway and so there was no point denying it. She was about to confess, when there came a muffled "NO!" from under the table. Kai looked down and saw Sara's head poking out from the tablecloth. It disappeared quickly, and Kai smirked when he saw Tala jump as she brushed past his legs. 

"Don't bet on me," he said sharply, suddenly changing his tone and looked shrewdly at the innocent looking Jenny. She nodded fervently, her brown hair shaking about her face. He stalked past her, suddenly much more cold than he was before, and Sara crawled out from under the table. Jenny growled at her, and Sara shrugged, before lowering her voice to a whisper. 

"What's th' bettin' tha' we bet on 'im again?"

Jenny paused, watching the attractive boy sit down smoothly with a slight smile on her face. Then she yanked out her black book and ran her finger down a list of numbers. 

"Ten te' one."

***************************************************************************************

Kai cleared his plate quickly. The salad had been pretty good, despite his expectations. This place was a shambles – not the building itself; that was beautiful, but, well, the staff. All throughout the meal he had watched the kitchen, which was an open one, and Jenny and Sara, as they were called, were very unsubtly making more bets on the eaters. He rolled his eyes with a slight smirk. They shouldn't bet on him. He was far too unpredictable. 

He drifted off into a little daydream, thinking back to the times when his team had been the successful ones at the world championships. Those were the days. Now, he was feeling a little bit lonely (not that he wasn't used to it by now) and irritated that he _still_ didn't know what was going on. He hated to admit this, too, but he was almost afraid. He wondered whom it was running the show – had his grandfather come back? The Russian authorities hadn't discovered him yet, and so it was a possibility. 

He sighed heavily, and finished off his drink. The taste of alcohol – even just a tiny amount like this – was pleasant and refreshing. He wasn't a heavy drinker or anything, but now and again he would drink it. 

He was about to place his empty glass on the table when it was wrenched from his hands roughly. He started, jostled out of his reverie, and glanced up a little wildly at Jenny. She spoke quietly for once. 

"Wan' anuvver drink?"

Kai watched her face for a moment, annoyed. Now _that_ was irritating. Couldn't he get a moment's peace without those two betting on him once more?

"No, I'm fine."

"Desser'?"

"No."

"Anyfin else?"

"What have you bet on this time?"

"Tha' you'd order one more item."

"No thanks."

Jenny clenched a fist and grinned. "Ge'r'in there my son! Notch up the dosh fer MOI!"

Kai placed a hand over his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose, as he often did when exasperated or annoyed. "How much this time?"

Jenny laughed, and stood up, taking his plate and cutlery with her. "Anuvver fiver."

Kai scowled at her, and her face fell. "Woah, soz, Kai. S'just a game." 

His scowl intensified, and Jenny stepped away a little, running the fork through her fingers nervously. 

"Seriously, sorry."

She watched him sigh, closing his mysterious eyes, and he opened his mouth to speak, when he – and the rest of the guests – were interrupted by a squeal and a slapping sound from the kitchen. Suddenly, Sara stormed out, making her way towards Jenny, who watched with wide eyes. Sara was untying the apron from around her waist, and in her hand was something like a can of fizzy drink.

She arrived at Jenny's side, and before Jenny had a chance to speak, she flung the apron on the floor in rage. 

"Tha' PERVERT! Ey-yar, Jen, 'ere's  ye' Pepsi. Las' bet I'll make in this dump! Cookie pinched me bum, th' minger! I QUIT! I've 'ad enuff! Stuff th' lorr'a yuz! An' YOU!" she glanced over at the kitchen where the cook stood, waving a knife around as he chattered in Italian, "Ye' Italian moron! Shove ye' spaghetti an' meatballs where th' _sun don' shine_! Ciao fer now!"

With that, Sara handed the chilled can to Jenny and stormed out of the room, slamming the doors behind her. Jenny dropped the plate, looking completely flustered, and ran out of the room after her friend yelling "Nuffin te' see 'ere, lovely performance, lovely . . . " and clapping her hands dramatically. 

Strangely, Kai felt the need to run after her. And so he slid out of his seat gracefully, avoiding the remnants of his plate on the floor, and darted out of the room. 

"Ye' can't quit!" he heard Jenny's voice yelling down the corridor. "Ye' know wha' _he_ said!" Something was strange here. Why was Jenny so concerned? Who was _he_?

Kai darted out of the doors, rather enjoying the sound of them slamming behind him, and ran straight into another guest. The two of them hit the floor in an ungraceful heap, and Kai clambered to his feet straight away, taking off after the girls. 

"Kai?" came the voice of the guest, and Kai skidded, turning his head with a lot less composure than the Kai everybody else was used to. He couldn't believe it was Rei he'd just bumped into. Rei Kon of the Blade-Breakers. 

"Rei?" Kai gasped, but, hearing the girls screaming at each other down the corridor, sprang after them. He heard Rei following him with light, graceful footsteps, and intensified his own pace to catch up with the girls. The wooden floor was slippery and difficult to grip. Adrenaline running through his entire body for some unknown reason, Kai sprinted through the lobby and out of the massive front doors of the Overlook, into the beautiful garden outside. 

The green hedges were generally shaped, and suddenly Kai found himself lost in a jungle of giant green creatures. He spun around for a second, not knowing which way to turn, and listening for the girls' voices. There were none. He heard Rei run up behind him, his quiet footsteps crunching in the freshly fallen snow, and Kai turned to him. Rei's amber eyes glinted in the bright, glittering sunset; its red beams flashing out over the entire hotel and making it appear to be on fire despite the chilly setting. 

"Kai, what's wrong? Why are you here?"

Kai was about to answer when he heard Sara's voice, emitting from his left. He sprang towards it, throwing himself through some hedges to get to her, feeling this strange sense of complete desperation to discover what was going on, and knowing that somehow these girls had more of an idea than he did. What did they know? He couldn't just let one of them leave. That would be like eliminating one of the witnesses from a game of Cluedo. Or throwing away one of the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. 

He reached a clearing, and, yanking a leaf out of his silver tinted hair, his gaze fell upon Sara and Jenny, who were standing next to the huge green bush surrounding the hotel. It towered right over them all, blocking the light of the sunset in its incredible shadow. Kai shivered suddenly and stepped forwards, watching as Jenny shook her head and reached into the hedge. 

"I don' believe it!" he heard her say, and then, as the girls weren't looking, he tapped Jenny on the shoulder. She whipped around; her hair messed up from her brief run and her cheeks already flushing with the cold outside. Next to her, Sara's eyes flashed darkly, furiously, and she growled at Kai. 

"Look!"

Rei approached from behind Kai once more, and halted at the scene. Kai was reaching into a giant hedge. Rei watched his friend's eyes widen in surprise, and then he frowned. 

"What is it, Kai?" Rei asked in his smooth voice, also wanting answers to his many, many questions. Kai spun around to him, pulling hard on one of the branches of the hedge and pulling the greenery apart behind himself. Rei gasped. 

"We're locked in!" spat Kai. Rei shook his head, and let his golden gaze fix upon the solid iron bars that lay centred in the enormous hedge. They glinted in the blood red light that flitted through the new hole in the foliage, the metallic shine on them seeming more threatening and dangerous than it actually was. 

"What?"

Kai threw the branch on the ground roughly and turned to the girls, who watched him in silence. Sara still looked furious, and Jenny looked more upset and kind of worried. 

"Well, " Kai commented dryly, his voice cool and edged with sarcasm that reminded Rei that Kai was still in control of the situation, "What are the odds of that, eh?"

Jenny pulled out the black book. 

***************************************************************************************

Sherby: There!

Oily: There what?

Sherby: Done!

Oily: Oh. 

Sherby: Finito!

Oily: I'm sitting right here, you don't need to tell me that.

Sherby: Je suis finis!

Oily: Aw, shut up! Well, readers, that's chapter one! We don't know if you'll like it.   
  


Sherby: I know it's a lot less evocative than my other stuff . . . 

Oily: But we wanted something really trashy to see how we could cope! A challenge, if you will. But, uh . . . yeah! Belly in, bum out, chest out, la la la!

Sherby: Wha?

Oily: Place yer bets people, and review! The next chappie's gonna get a bit more dangerous! Oh, and if you have trouble understanding the Liverpudlian accent (just so you know, I'm Sara, and Sherby is Jenny.) just feel free to email us at reiko_Hiwatari@hotmail.com or sara_bloom@hotmail.com. Spot who's who! Lol! 

Sherby; READ AND REVIEW!

Oily: If they've got to here, they've read it anyways!

Sherby: That isn't always the case. 

Oily: Shut up. 

Sherby: God bless guys! X X X

Oily: What she said! G'Night, we'll be here all week!


End file.
